New Deputy Executive Directors at Work

HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Game Commission has two new Deputy Executive Directors.

David J. Gustafson, who had directed the agency’s Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management, has taken over the Deputy Executive Director role vacated when Stephen Smith became Executive Director, and Kelly O’Donnell, who comes to the Game Commission from the state Department of Agriculture, has begun work in the Deputy Executive Director position that opened when Deana Vance retired.

Gustafson started in his new role July 22. O’Donnell worked her first day as Deputy Executive Director on Aug. 12.

Smith said both Gustafson and O’Donnell bring critical expertise and a variety of experience to their new roles, and will help to guide the Game Commission in its mission to manage and protect Pennsylvania’s wildlife and habitats, while promoting hunting and trapping, for current and future generations.

“The work that ensures we’ll always have wildlife and hunting opportunities in the Commonwealth is carried out by dedicated Game Commission employees who genuinely care about conservation’s present and future,” Smith said. “Kelly and Dave are no exception. You’d be hard-pressed to find harder-working, more-talented individuals who bring different perspectives to the amazing team we have here at the Game Commission.”

Gustafson has worked for the Game Commission since 2003, most recently overseeing and directing wildlife habitat management practices on the Game Commission’s more than 1.5 million acres of state game lands, as well as gas, oil, coal and timber operations on game lands, in addition to other responsibilities.

Gustafson’s background is in forestry, earning a bachelor’s degree in Forest Science from Penn State in 2000, then working as a forester in the private sector and for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before joining the Game Commission in 2003 as a forester in the Northwest Region.

In 2005, Gustafson was promoted to forest program specialist and helped start the agency’s Forest Inventory and Analysis Section. In 2007, he was promoted to Chief Forester, working in that capacity until he became bureau director, where he was instrumental in numerous large land acquisitions, adding over 20,000 acres to the game lands system in less than three years.

In his new role, Gustafson is responsible for overseeing the implementation of agency projects, ensuring the Game Commission is compliant with in its strategic plan and assisting in the development of regulatory proposals.

Gustafson said it’s work that means the world to him.

“Since I was a kid running around the forests of McKean County, all I’ve ever wanted to do was to work for the Game Commission,” Gustafson said. “To be able to have a hand in making things better for wildlife and hunting has been a lifelong passion of mine.

“I’m humbled and honored to have this opportunity to be a part of the future direction of this great agency, to ensure we meet our mission ensuring the sound management of wildlife and their habitats for current and future generations, and to make sure our hunting heritage continues to be the best in the nation. We have such an amazing and passionate staff here in the PGC, and we need to make sure everyone sees just how hard they work to provide for the wildlife and the sportsmen and women of this state. We find ourselves in the best financial condition in the history of the agency, and it’s a tremendous responsibility to manage the funds efficiently and effectively to the core mission of the agency, and to make sure those funds last as long as possible. I look forward to working further with Steve, the Board of Commissioners and the rest of the leadership team to promote accountability and transparency and make sure our stakeholders have confidence that we are meeting our mission,” he said.

O’Donnell, who graduated from Penn State University in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, worked in several capacities for the state Department of Agriculture. Most recently, she was Director of the agency’s Bureau of Administrative Services, where among other responsibilities, she directed the review and analysis of program budget proposals, the preparation and execution of the department’s $220 million budget, and the monitoring of federal and state grants.

O’Donnell had worked in the director’s role since 2021. Prior to that, she was the Department of Agriculture’s Agency Director of Transformation, reporting as well to the Governor’s Office of Performance Through Excellence, and serving as the primary liaison between the two. She also served as Director of the Department of Agriculture’s Policy Office, reporting also to the Governor’s Office of Policy and Planning, serving as the primary liaison between the department and office, and monitoring agriculture-related policies across all levels of government. And prior to that, she directed the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Legislative Affairs.

O’Donnell directed the state Department of Aging’s Office of Legislative Affairs, as well, and also directed the Department of Aging’s Operations and Management Office for five years between 2012 and 2017.

As the Game Commission’s Deputy Executive Director of Administration, O’Donnell assists in the planning, directing, executing and coordinating of the Game Commission’s programs to manage and protect wildlife, and directly supervises the Game Commission’s bureau directors and other staff.

She said her interactions with staff have made it clear what the agency’s mission means to them, and she’s excited to move forward as part of the team.

“The energy and passion for our mission that is exuded by the team at the Pennsylvania Game Commission is contagious and I am excited to be joining the team at this time in the agency’s history,” O’Donnell said. “To be able to continue my career in public service with an organization that is so committed to conservation and to the preservation and enhancement of our vital natural resources is a dream come true.”

O’Donnell is originally from Lewistown, Mifflin County. She currently resides in Harrisburg, Dauphin County and is the proud aunt of four nieces and one nephew.

Gustafson enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 1997. In 2006, he was appointed to the rank of Second Lieutenant by Direct Commission. He served as First Lieutenant and Company Executive Officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq from September 2008 until October 2009 and was decorated with numerous military honors.

Gustafson is originally from Port Allegany in McKean County. He and his wife, Christine, currently reside in Loysville, Perry County, with daughters Rebekah and Caroline, and lab Ruby.